The burden of tuberculosis in adolescents and young adults

The burden of tuberculosis in adolescents and young adults remains poorly understood. In this study, researchers investigated the evolution of tuberculosis incidence and mortality in 10-24 year-olds between 1990 and 2019. Worldwide, tuberculosis incidence fell by an average of 1.28% per year. Declining trends were similar across gender, age and geographic regions. However, tuberculosis incidence fell more rapidly among adolescent girls than among adolescent boys. South Africa was the country where the rise in tuberculosis incidence was most marked. Finally, the researchers noted an increase in the incidence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.